Sunday 31 July 2011

Style on a Sunday: Doing My Chores

This weekend has been a weekend of chores, which included trips to Ikea, the White Rose Centre and Asda on a busy and hot Saturday. It wasn't exactly fun, but this is what I wore:

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Top: Forever 21, Jeans: New Look, Sandals: Primark, Stone Ring: VIPXO, Necklace: ASOS

These jeans were found in my parents' loft when I went home this week to sort out the boxes of stuff I have left in London since I moved to Leeds last year. They fit me perfectly and apart from a little hole in the bottom of one leg they are in perfect condition. I can't for the life of me remember why I stopped wearing them: it was a good little discovery.

As I'm sure you can tell I went for comfort over haute couture yesterday but added a bit of glam with my new VIPXO ring, which is definitely my go-to glamorous but easy-to-wear item.

How do you make your weekend chores a bit more glamorous? Or do you just give up and wear jogging bottoms and an old t shirt?

Saturday 30 July 2011

Everyday I'm Tumblin'

You may not know that you can find me in many places across the web and I've been a bit greedy over on Tumblr as I have two blogs over there. I know. Who needs that much Laura Mary Coyne in their lives?

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If you like films/want to read quite stupid reviews of films then follow me at lauramarycoyne.tumblr.com.

If you enjoy a good mix of cats, fashion, food and the odd tattoo then you can also find me at lorzy.tumblr.com.

Do you have a tumblr? Please share your in the comments below!

Friday 29 July 2011

A Trip to Forever 21

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I've been quietly keeping my eye on Forever 21 for the past few months, I'd heard of them and seen American bloggers rave about them but even when they opened their Birmingham store and I realised I could buy online I still didn't make a purchase. When I heard about the new Oxford Street store opening I was very pleased that I was due to be in London visiting my parents and it was more than likely I could fit in a quick trip to the brand new store on opening day!

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It was (as I'm sure you can imagine) heaving with people and as I got there mid afternoon some rails were already a little bare, but I squeezed my way through the people to try and get a good look at the pieces, and have a feel of anything I could get my hands on to get an idea of the quality. I didn't really know what to expect, all I knew was that the prices were pretty cheap (around the same mark as Primark) but looking around the styles and cuts looked like they could fit in well with Topshop. Most items I felt were good quality and nice fabrics, and although there were of course pieces I hated I was overall very impressed.

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I was so tempted to buy the orange blazer (seen on the mannequin) - it was gorgeous!

I picked up a few goodies as well as a free necklace (thanks guys!) and promptly asked for some information on the store to share with you all from the Forever 21 PR team. I learnt that the store spans three floors (these were nicely spaced out, and clearly signposted at the escalators) and that they not only cater for women, but men and children too. You can become a Facebook fan here and follow on Twitter @Forever21.

I'd highly recommend having a look if you're in London (or Birmingham) as they had some great quality, on trend pieces for amazing prices. I wish I'd had some more time to look around and try some items on, as I'm unsure what size I'd need for shoes or trousers/skirts for ordering online, but I guess that just gives an excuse to go back. I'll be sharing my new purchases with you all soon!

Have you been to the Oxford Street Forever 21 store? Have you bought anything in store or online? Are you a fan of Forever 21?

Images provided by the Forever 21 PR team

Monday 25 July 2011

Lust-have #6: Vintage Storage Solutions

A slightly different lust-have post this week, this weekend Ryan and I started tackling the many boxes in our spare rooms that have just been sat there since we moved in in April. Now, I love the fact we own a house, and I absolutely adore our house, but the problem is storage. We are in desperate need of space, whether it be shelves or something a bit more unique, our house is crying out for more space to fit all of our "stuff".

While going through my handbags, scarves and shoes I had the great idea that I could look at getting some vintage suitcases or big wicker chests to have in our second bedroom to store all my crap very important stuff. I just don't have enough space in my wardrobe and right now everything is just sitting in plastic boxes, which definitely aren't pleasing to the eye. I'm thinking Ryan and I need to take a trip to some car boot sales to start the search, as I'm quite excited and inspired to look at pretty and aesthetically pleasing storage solutions.

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Image fromhttp://vintageleathersuitcase.com/
Do you rely on storage from Ikea and Argos or do you prefer a vintage touch? I'd love to hear your advice for thrifting!

Sunday 24 July 2011

Style on a Sunday: A Fashionable Night In

This is a typical outfit for a night in with friends, I go for comfort while still feeling pretty with something to keep me warm when the house gets chilly at about 10pm.

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Dress: H&M, Shirt: Levi's via my dad, Belt: ASOS, Leggings: New Look

This dress is great for just throwing on at a weekend, but can also be worn for work (even though I have issues with mixing my work and weekend wardrobes) and yesterday I thought I'd team it with this classic shirt which my dad gave to me a few years ago. I remember I wore it to college (so 5 years ago now!) and people looked at me like I was crazy. Now denim shirts are worn everywhere by everyone and rightly so, fashion is funny like that. I would like a denim shirt this colour that I could button up, but considering this is a man's shirt and apparently my dad used to be very skinny that is never going to happen with this one.

What do you like to wear on a night in? Do you have any pieces from your parents which you make work even if they don't fit(!)?

P.S I know I'm not wearing shoes, but I never wear shoes in the house, so thought it would be silly to include them in an outfit post. Although the floor on our driveway was a bit chilly - brrr. 

Thursday 21 July 2011

Old favourites from Primark

It wasn't until I uploaded the photos of this outfit that I realised that it involves a lot of Primark. I know there is a lot of debate over Primark, and the high street in general at the moment, but one thing I've never really found with Primark is that it's awful quality. Many items that I have bought there have lasted me a long time, these items have both been in my wardrobe for over a year:

Jumper: Primark, Vest (worn underneath): H&M, Shorts: Primark, Necklace: ASOS, Tights: Primark, Shoes: Primark

I had no idea what I wanted today so I reached for some old favourites (the jumper has featured in a Style on a Sunday post) that I've never worn together before and I really like it, although I wish it had a bit more colour. To tackle that slight problem I think this could really work with a pair of coloured tights instead of black opaques. Although I'm still at home on my mini holiday from work, I also think this would be a great outfit for the office too - maybe with a jacket? Anyway, I'm rambling...

What do you think of Primark? Have you been disappointed with the quality of their pieces?

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Smart for Summer

As you may know if you follow me on Twitter or by passing mention on the blog, I am starting a new job at the beginning of August and this week I spent a few days meeting one of the clients I'll be working with. I wanted to look smart but not too overdressed and when I found this dress in my local supermarket I had to pick it up because I knew it was perfect. Please excuse the slightly poor quality photos - it was far too dark in the living room but it was raining outside, so I just had to make do (with my new tripod - yay!).

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Dress: Clothing at Tesco, Jacket: Next, Belt: ASOS, Tights: Primark, Shoes: Primark

I'm completely blown away by the quality of the Clothing at Tesco collection right now, I came away with three dresses and I think I could have bought a few more! I teamed this floral number with black jacket, black tights and black pumps to retain a professional feel, also so it would be suitable for the dreary autumn weather we're having - I've learnt from Jen that florals should not be put away for the winter months!

Do you enjoy shopping for clothes in supermarkets? Have you picked anything up recently? I'd love to know.

Tuesday 19 July 2011

What I Wore for Dinner and Drinks

This weekend me and Ryan and our friends Sam and Jason went to Filey for the weekend and on Saturday we went out for dinner and drinks, this is what I wore:

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Dress: H&M, Belt: H&M (came with dress), Leggings: New Look, Boots: Next, Necklace: Primark

We had a DELICIOUS meal at the local pub, I chose duck with mashed potato and sticky red cabbage which was divine, they literally gave me half a duck!

Sam took some photos of us on her camera before we went out and while we were there:

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Me and Ryan before we headed out for tea (this is probably my favourite photo of us, ever!)
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Me and Sam posing!
And a five-second pose for the benefit of those with flash photography...


We had an absolutely lovely time! What did you get up to this weekend?

Monday 18 July 2011

Me vs. Food

I love food. I love cooking, I love going to restaurants, I love being cooked for and I love eating a meal with people I love. All of this has resulted in a lovely relationship with food, however, food doesn't like my hips, bum or belly that much. It has this annoying habit of making me put on weight instantly due to my lazy nature.

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A couple of years ago I did something about this and lost quite a bit of weight through the use of a food diary. Once I'd lost the weight I wanted to I stopped using the diary but continued to watch what I ate and weighed out food like pasta and rice to cut down on carbs. However, last July I moved in with Ryan and his parents and they fed me on really yummy home cooked food, and because of this great relationship I have with food I went with it because it just tasted so good! Now, I'm feeling a bit bigger and a bit more sluggish and would really like to get back down to a weight where I feel more comfortable.

My tactics include using myfitnesspal.com to track the food I'm eating, I am also cutting down on the amount of bread and pasta I eat, weighing anything that I can't judge by eye (pretty much everything) and increasing the amount of exercise I do. Exercise and I have never got along, but whenever I do anything I really enjoy going to classes so I'm using Your Shape for Kinect and a couple of other exercise DVDs I have accumulated to try and ease myself into improving my fitness. Eventually I'd like to look for some classes to go to, but I don't have the money right now so will stick to exercising at home.

I don't own any scales so I'm not going to be monitoring my actual weight loss, but will be basing everything on how I feel and how my clothes feel (I have one skirt that I want to fit into desperately!). I will update the blog at points with my progress and if you are embarking on a similar journey, or are in the middle of a weight loss program I would love to hear from you!

Image from http://www.nextgenerationfood.com/

Sunday 17 July 2011

Style on a Sunday: Summer Fashion in Winter Weather

The little village outside of Leeds which I call home can't be the only place where summer has arrived for all of about two days and disappeared, so I'm assuming everyone is having the same problem with style at the moment?! I have absolutely no idea what to wear in this weather so I seem to be reaching for old favourites from the colder months mixed with a few summer additions:

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Top: George at Asda, Vest (worn underneath): Topshop, Leggings: New Look
Shoes: Primark, Jacket: Pilot, Bag: New Look

My mum was having a wardrobe clearout a few months ago and offered me this denim jacket, I'd been looking for a cheap one anyway, so it was perfect timing! It's really comfy and a good length on me (I think) but I kind of want to rough it up a bit, so I'm going to have a look around for some distressed denim tutorials - I am no designer so I need all the help I can get so I don't ruin it - any tips?

I added white loafers to this predominantly black outfit to try and summer it up a bit, I think it worked, made it a bit more suitable for a July evening at the pub for birthday drinks with Ryan and some friends.

What are your wardrobe staples for this confusing weather? How do you make an outfit summery while keeping warm? I'd love to hear from you.

Friday 15 July 2011

Lust-have #5: ASOS New Season Colours

As I'm not working right now (I am starting my new job in August) I have A LOT of spare time to browse online shops, however, I have no spare cash to spend so I am currently lusting over a number of different pieces which I feel will slot effortlessly into my wardrobe.

Today, I thought I'd have a look round ASOS and found that it had a new section for its new season colours and oh my, I am in love. I think we all know I have been discovering colours lately and I am trying to step away from my blacks and navys to wear brighter and bolder outfits and I feel like this ASOS collection will sherpa on the journey to a rainbow-filled wardrobe.

There are three main pieces that I am lusting over, all three are dresses that I think I could wear for work or at the weekend and could be dressed up or down (look at me trying to justify it, when really I can't afford any of them right now!)

ASOS Button Back Dress w/ Long Sleeves - £45

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This is the perfect dress for A/W 11, the colour and the sleeves are to die for and the button detail on the back makes it that little bit more interesting. This dress comes in green or chestnut, but I think this beautiful reddy-pink chestnut would suit my complexion best. 

TFNC Button Front Fit & Flare Dress - £45

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Why does this dress not come in a colour which would suit my skin tone? It is so so cute - I love it! But orange and yellow are just not me!

ASOS Short Sleeve High Neck Pleated Midi Dress - £45

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I've saved my number one favourite until last - this is probably one of the most amazing dresses I have seen this year. I have been finding it difficult to find clothes that I like recently, but this just screams class at me and is in a colour I adore. Please can I buy it? Pretty please?

Do you like the ASOS New Season Colours? What are your lust-haves for A/W 11?

Images all from www.asos.com

Thursday 14 July 2011

Coyne-Operated Culture: Sonisphere

As you may or may not have realised I disappeared from civilisation last week and entered the 'festival bubble', a place where I often wear hairbands, denim shorts and wellies while eating too many carbs, and oh how I love it. I haven't been to a festival in a few years mainly because I haven't been able to justify the every increasing prices, but this year Sonisphere held at Knebworth tempted me, and I'm very glad it did.

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Sonisphere is regarded as a Metal/Rock festival and headliners in previous years have included Metallica, Rammstein and Iron Maiden. Thinking about it, it's really not my 'thing', I love a lot of Rock music but Metal? Nuh-uh. It's all a bit too loud and chuggy for my liking, but Ryan is a big fan so I end up listening to quite a bit in his car. I decided to go to Sonisphere this year because Biffy Clyro (my all time favourite band) were headlining and a few of my other faves including Bill Bailey and Weezer were announced to further justify the ticket price. One thing that concerned me though, is that I'm not the typical attendee of a Metal festival and I wondered if people would people look at me funny? Would I feel like the odd one out?  But, no, I felt more than welcome whichever band I was watching, whether it was one of my favourites or someone I'd never heard of before and the whole weekend was really enjoyable. So I would like to tell you all about the highlights of my weekend:

My Top 3 Bands of Sonisphere

Biffy Clyro

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I guess from what I just said you could guess they would be number one, and they definitely didn't disappoint me, I really enjoyed their set, it was a good mix of songs from the new album and amazing older songs as well. They had some AMAZING pyro which helped cement them as a British band who are good enough and successful enough to headline any festival.

Song of the set: Machines - a chandelier of light-bulbs descended around Simon Neil while he sang Machines by himself, it was a pretty magical way to hear one of my favourite songs.

Weezer

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I've always liked Weezer, and was looking forward to seeing them live, they performed a set of songs everyone knows and it was a great singalong in the sunshine! They seemed to really enjoy the set and I always think it's important to see a band enjoying themselves on set.

Song of the set: Say It Ain't So - everyone was singing along with the booming chorus of this fantastic festival tune. Loved every minute.

Bill Bailey

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I have rewatched every Bill Bailey DVD multiple times and have been able to see him live once and he is one of the funniest comedians working at the moment. He did a good mix of songs and stand up with a couple of videos thrown in for the fun.

Song of the set: A cover of Gary Numan's Cars sung in French with an accompanying video. Utterly perfect, despite the heavy downpours.

So, as I'm sure you can tell I loved every minute of Sonisphere - did you go? Have you been to a festival this year? Tell me all about it!

Images all from Sonisphere Festival on Facebook

Sunday 10 July 2011

Style on a Sunday: Hair-style

I treated myself to a couple of hairbands in Primark last week and wanted to show them off for you. All were priced at around £2 and I think they're super cute. I'll hopefully be wearing them at Sonisphere as we speak, unless it's boiling hot and I will have bought a hat!

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What do you think of hairbands? I find them really practical and they really add something to an outfit, I'm also a big fan of headscarves! Share your thoughts below!

Sunday 3 July 2011

The Traditional Sunday Brunch

Me and Ryan recently bought a house, we moved in 2 and a bit months ago, and pretty much every Sunday since then Ryan has made us bacon sandwiches on a Sunday. Sometimes it's mid morning, sometimes it's lunchtime, but I like to think of it as Sunday brunch.

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I know what you're thinking, that concoction above isn't a bacon sandwich, well, it's a bacon and cheese sandwich, and those are the best kind. Ryan changes how he makes these sandwiches every week, sometimes they'll be garlic-y, sometimes there is tomato sauce, sometimes barbecue sauce, but every week they're super yummy.
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We didn't choose for this to be a 'thing', but it's become one, and now I really do love having my Sunday bacon sandwich for brunch, and it feels like it's something for us, a tradition.

What traditions do you have?

Friday 1 July 2011

Cut and Colour

So, today, while I am off away in London I am getting my hair done, now I absolutely LOVE and ADORE having my hair cut and coloured, I know some people can't stand it but my hairdresser is amazing and I just love it. I'm not sure exactly what I'll come back - my colour changes pretty much every time I do it, but I normally start off having foils for my blonde highlights then an all over colour to make my natural brown a bit richer. I then have to sit under the crazy alien drying machine, have toner put on and the dye washed out, then it's the cut.

Chris is my hairdresser at Toni and Guy and he has been cutting my hair since I was 16 (I think), he knows my hair better than I know my hair, he hacks away at it to make nicely thinned and smooth, I end up with a pile of hair around my feet that needs to be swept up multiple times, and my head feels about 2 tonnes lighter. I have yet to find another hairdresser that understand my hair, and for now I will continue to head back home to London to have him work his magic.

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However, this luxury treatment doesn't come cheap, I am lucky enough that my Mum always helps me pay for my hair (she knows how much it needs a good cut, Sunday evenings spent blow-drying my hair must be a pretty prominent memory for her), but I never want to get it coloured more than (and at the most) twice a year. Therefore, I've recently bought Aussie Colour Mate Shampoo to try out when I have my new colour - I've heard such good things about the Aussie brand that I wanted to give it a go. I will let you know how I find it!

Do you us Aussie products? What do you think of them?
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